Ever been caught in a situation where you have a letter, parcel or postcard that urgently needs sending but you don’t know where to buy stamps from?

You may be in that situation right now.

You can buy stamps in physical stores such as pharmacies, gas stations, and banks. Additionally, reputable Banks, Staples, gas stations, and big-name retailers like Walmart also sell stamps. You can also buy stamps online from USPS, Amazon and more.

Click here to find the nearest physical store to you that sells stamps, or if you don’t need them immediately, skip to view online retailers where you can buy stamps in bulk, international stamps and more.

Physical Stores That Sell Stamps

If you’re looking for somewhere close to you where you can go and buy stamps right now then keep reading, alternatively if you are happy to wait a couple of days for your stamps to arrive then skip to find out where you can buy stamps online.

1. USPS or Royal Mail Post Offices

Your local United States Postal Service store is the most obvious place to buy stamps from.

The USPS is a government agency which employs over 600,000 postal workers – this makes it the 3rd biggest employer of civilians in the U.S, behind the government and Walmart.

With around 31,000 Post Offices in the U.S there is bound to be one somewhere close to you. Click here to find your nearest USPS Post Office.

(If you’re based in the UK click here to find your nearest Royal Mail Post Office).

Due to an increasing reliance on email over the last 20 years both USPS and the UK’s Royal Mail have been forced to close many post offices and reduce operating hours to cut costs.

This may mean that your nearest post office is quite far away, if so read on for some more places where you can get stamps..

2. Walmart

With almost 5,000 Walmart stores in the United States, hopefully there will be one near you. Walmart are well known for their superstores which sell pretty much everything…including stamps!

When you get to Walmart save time by heading straight to their MoneyCenter or customer service desk – you will be able to buy stamps (typically in books of 20) from either of these.

4. Staples

If there is no Post Office or Walmart near you there may be a Staples close by. Staples operates over 1,200 stores in the U.S and over 300 stores in Canada. Unfortunately Staples decided to close most of its U.K stores in 2019.

They are well known for all things stationery including office supplies, print services and crucially; stamps.

In the U.S Staples sell what are known as Forever Stamps, these are first-class stamps which do not have a monetary value. This means that if you buy them today and don’t use them for a few years, by which time postage costs will have increased, they will still be sufficient to send a letter without any additional postal charges on top.

In the U.K Staples sells standard books of 1st and 2nd class Royal Mail stamps.

5. Pharmacies

Not all pharmacies stock stamps, a local independent pharmacy may not have any however most of the national chains such as Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Riteaid and Express Scripts will usually have stamps.

Be aware that if you’re in the UK looking for stamps you shouldn’t try going to a bank – they don’t sell them!

7. Local Newsagents

This can be hit and miss depending on your newsagent. Local stores are often a focal point for communities who may rely on them for basic groceries and occasional supplies such as stamps so it’s always worth checking to see if they have any.

Incidentally, if you want a single stamp then a local newsagent or independently run store is your best bet as they are more likely to be willing to split up a book of stamps.

Online Stores That Sell Stamps

If you don’t need a stamp right now and are prepared to wait a couple of days for them to arrive then you can buy in bulk at many online stores:

1. United States Postal Service

The USPS have local offices everywhere…however if you happen to be one of the few unfortunate people who don’t live near one you can buy stamps from their online store here.

2. Amazon

Amazon is the world’s most famous eCommerce site, they sell everything…including stamps!

4. Postofficeshop.co.uk (UK only)

Where To Buy A Single Stamp

If you’re sending a parcel it can be difficult to be certain of how many stamps you need, however if you’re sending a postcard or small letter you can be confident that you only need one stamp.

If you want to buy a single stamp your best bet is to try an independently run store such as a local newsagent, pharmacy or gas station. These sort of stores may be willing to split a book of stamps for you.

Unfortunately most retailers do not sell single stamps.

Bigger stores and chains are unlikely to sell single stamps because it doesn’t make economic sense for them to tear out one stamp from a book of 20.

Online retailers (with the exception of some auction sites where you may occasionally find the odd single stamp) do not sell single stamps either for the same reason.

In most cases whether you buy your stamps online or in a physical store you will have to buy a full book of stamps, but at least you’ll have some spare next time you need one!